Zacks Research Equities Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a report released on Wednesday, April 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.14 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.15. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AstraZeneca’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.17 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.63 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.55 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $66.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.88. AstraZeneca has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.52%.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.